The invention relates generally to welding systems, and more particularly to welding torch assemblies having temperature sensing systems.
Welding is a process that has become increasingly ubiquitous in all industries. While such processes may be automated in certain contexts, a large number of applications continue to exist for manual welding operations performed by skilled welding technicians. Traditional process welding systems support a variety of processes, such as metal inert gas (MIG) welding, tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding, stick welding, and so forth, which may operate in different modes, such as constant current or constant voltage. These power sources provide conditioned power for the welding application, and features of this provided power are governed by one or more settings input by a welding operator. Many welding applications, such as welding of aerospace parts, require the operator to utilize a TIG process, typically for finer or more intricate welds. Such intricate forms of welding a desired part may be sensitive to weld conditions and parameters, and, accordingly, it may be desirable to monitor these processes throughout the various stages of a welding operation, including before, during, and after establishment of a welding arc. In some cases, monitoring of the parameters of these processes may require use of an auxiliary device and/or interruption of the welding arc for measurements to be obtained, thus reducing the efficiency and accuracy of the welding process. Accordingly, there exists a need for systems that enable an operator to measure parameters of a welding operation with minimal inconvenience for the welding operator, particularly in environments where the welding operation is intricate.